Knife sharpener



March 13, 1951 J. A. CAHIL KNIFE SHARPENER Filed NOV. 26, 1948"im"nmmmuunmunnnmmml fz'@ f2 Z/ ze z/ f7 Y A Ti'j E' INVENTOR. dwf/2HUAH/L Patented Mar. 13,I 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,544,777KNIFE SHARPENER Joseph A. Cahil, New York, N. Y.

Application November 26, 1948, Serial No. 62,073

1 claim. 1

The present invention relates to a new and improved knife sharpener, theconstruction of which permits the eifective use thereof on any desiredsurface.

Heretofore, difficulty has been encountered in holding hand knifeSharpeners for effective operation. If the Sharpeners are not properlyheld while the knife is drawn across the sharpening elements. thesharpening action afforded by these prior devices is impaired.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improvedknife Sharpener adapted to be held upon any suitable surface toaccomplish the sharpening operation effectively.

This object, as well as others which will appear from the followingdetailed description, is attained by a knife Sharpener comprisingsharpening mechanism enclosed within a case having a centrally disposednotch to permit access thereto. A handle extends from the case, the freeend thereof being in the same plane as the under surface of the case toprovide an effective bearing area when the Sharpener is grasped duringuse.

The invention may be better understood from the following detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a knife sharpener constructed in accordancewith the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view in end elevation of the device of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a view in cross section of the device, taken at line 3 3 ofFigure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a plan view partly broken away and in section, taken at line4-4 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, showing thestructural details of the device.

Referring now to the drawings, the knife sharpener comprises asharpening mechanism I0 enclosed within a case I I formed of anysuitable material, such as a plastic of the phenol-formaldehyde class,for example. To facilitate assembly, case II may be formed as twoseparate units, a base plate I2 and a body member I3. Body member I3 isprovided with a centrally disposed V-shaped notch I4 having an aperturel5 therein for permitting access to the sharpening mechanism I0. Ahandle I6, preferably an integral part of body member I3, extendstherefrom .and is formed at its free end I1 with a bearing pad I8positioned in the plane of the under surface of base plate I 2.

Sharpening mechanism I0 comprises a series of abrasive or cuttingrollers I9 mounted on angular flanges 20 and 2| extending from sidewalls 22 and bottom wall 23, respectively, of a frame 24. Rollers I9 arejournaled in the flanges 20 and 2| by means of p-intles 25. Frame 24 issecured to body member I3 by screws 26 or other suitable fasteningmeans.

When the device is assembled, the body member I3 is secured-as byglueing, to base plate I2, a iiange I2a serving to locate and positionthe body member I 3 in the position illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

In operation, the sharpening device is held upon any supporting surfacewith the bottom plate I2 and bearing pad I8 resting upon the surface.The user grasps the handle I 6 with one hand and inserts a knife bladeinto notch I4 for contact with the rollers I9 of the sharpeningmechanism. The device is thus firmly held in proper position while theblade is moved across the rollers I9, to form an effective cutting edge.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that the invention provides a new andimproved knife sharpener formed to enable the Sharpener to be firmlyheld in a desired position while the device is being used.

While the invention has been described with specific reference to thestructure shown in the accompanying drawings, it is not to be limitedsave as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A knife Sharpener having stabilization against angular movement in bothhorizontal and vertical planes comprising, in combination, a housinghaving side, end and top and bottom members, said bottom member having abearing surface contained in a given plane and adapted to rest squarelyupon a supporting surface, a handle rigidly secured to said housing andextending laterally outwardly therefrom spaced from the plane of thebottom member to afford a fingerreceiving opening between the handle andthe supporting surface, a depending foot portion on said handle spacedfrom said housing, said foot being formed on its free end with a bearingsurface disposed in the plane of the said bottom member, said foot andsaid bottom member affording stabilization of the knife Sharpeneragainst turning movement in the plane normal to the supporting surfacewhile the Sharpener is pressed against a supporting surface by downwardthrust between the supporting foot and the housing, said foot providingin addition frictional drag opposing angular `movement of said sharpenerin the plane parallel to the supporting surface, an elongated notch insaid top member for receiving the knife blade and sharpening mechanismcomprising means for engaging the knifeedge at points spaced lengthwiseof the blade, said sharpening mechanism being maintained insubstantially fixed orientation relative to the supporting surfaceduring the course of operation.

JOSEPH A. CAHIL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Number l Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Annan Nov. 16, 1858Dearborn Jan. 16, 1912 Seramidis Apr, 4, 1916 Rogers Aug. 22, 1922Graves July 31, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Country e Date Great Britain Sept.15, 1919 Great Britain May 11, 1920 Germany Mar. 6, 1931

